A Step at a Time, Into the Trenches of This Merriment
by Cayslie
Summary: The war is over, Voldemort is dead. Nothing but sunshine and daisies ahead compared to the misery that they'd been through. But - can she cope? Can she handle this new life? What happens when she runs into her old professor?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm not gonna lie, I'm not 100% sure what plans I have with this story. I've just recently decided to embark on this journey, as I have a picture in my head and would love to share it in words with you all. This will be an SS/HG fic, little to no lemons (sorry to disappoint), mostly focusing on building an emotional bond and discovering this new life together. There may be some excitement along the way. We shall see ;)

Please Read & Review to feed my soul.

 **Chapter 1 - A Whole New World**

There she was, in the middle of the rubble – her mind reeling, trying to catch up to the present. The war was over, they were no longer in danger. Voldemort IS dead. Shaking her head and dusting off her clothes, she made her way over to where Harry and Ron had been standing.

"So what now, mate?" Ron asked Harry, both of them just staring into the distance, looking nearly as lost as Hermione felt that moment.

"Honestly? I don't really now, we've spent the last 6 years preparing for this day… I'm not entirely sure I know how to live without being on guard 24/7."

"I suppose it will take some time to cope with it all." Hermione interjected, barely realizing she was speaking.

"Yeah, s'pose so." Ron replied, putting an arm around her shoulder.

Hermione thought back to the Room of Requirement, Ron calling her his girlfriend after their shared kiss in the Chamber of Secrets. The kiss was fueled by adrenaline from destroying the horcrux, while she may have harbored a crush on Ron – she was quickly meeting the new reality they were facing… one where she did not see herself as anything more than best friends with the Weasley in question.

Without a word, Hermione started making her way back to what was left of the castle. Making a beeline to the Great Hall, knowing she could be of assistance with those that were injured. _So much loss,_ she thought to herself as she looked around at all of the mangled bodies that were spread across the floor. Her eyes scanning the room, trying to figure out who she could help most first – she landed on a dark figure in the corner.

"Professor Snape? You're alive?" She was astonished, last she saw him he was bleeding out in the Shrieking Shack.

A grunt was the only response she received. He turned to face her, exposing the poorly healed wound on his neck. She reached in her bag that was around her waist, pulling out some potions – trying to figure out which one would be best suited for his current state. After a moment of thinking, she figured who would know best than the potion master himself? She held out the vials in front of him.

"Which one?" She asked. He took a look at the options and lifted up his arm barely enough to point to the one in her left hand, between her pinky and ring finger.

She quickly uncapped the vial, tilted his head back and dumped the contents into his mouth. While the potion did its work, she threw a diagnostic spell – to find further damage.

"Did you take anti-venom?" She asked.

He managed to nod in return.

"Good, looks like your neck took most of the damage – after the healing potion sets in, you should be looking upwards." She spoke softly, not looking him in the eyes. After lingering a moment, she stood up and made her way to tend to others in need.

That night Hermione had trouble falling asleep. She didn't want to stay at the Burrow so she decided to go to her home in the Muggle World. Her parents were still in Australia – with no memory of her. It was lonely there, alone, but she was comforted by the simplicity. This world didn't just endure the War of the Century.

She snuggled in her bed, wishing she had a dreamless sleep potion, trying not to think about the last few months. Finally, she was able to succumb to sleep – however, filled with many horrid flashbacks, and an all too real replay of the happening at Malfoy Manor.


	2. To Dream is To Hope

I was informed this was originally posted in HTML, my apologies everyone!

A/N: I'm not entirely sure if it was well implied, but if it was unclear – this story is very much not cannon, and there may be some OOC moments.

Chapter 2:

"Thank you all for coming," Harry started. He'd messaged all of the order to come at meet at Grimmauld Place first thing that morning. Why? Hermione had no idea. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here." He spoke as if reading her mind.

"It's been a long couple of weeks, and to be honest I'm feeling rather lost. I figured I wasn't the only one, so I thought I'd bring us all together and see if maybe just having someone to talk to may help us?"

Everyone looked around, not really making a move. The overall feeling of the room was sadness, it radiated off of everyone. There had been so much pain and suffering, how could they so easily move past it? Hermione walked over to Ginny, who'd been sitting in the corner with a faraway glance.

"Hey there," Hermione spoke first.

"Hey," Ginny grunted back.

"I'm sorry I haven't come around the burrow lately… I've just… I've- "

"I know, it's okay. I honestly haven't really gotten out of bed much, except to eat and pee."

"I guess we're all having a bit of a rough time… I just don't understand how we're supposed to move on, ya know?"

"Yeah. I know." Ginny sighed.

They sat there in silence for a long while, watching everyone engage in deep conversations. She guessed it wasn't such a bad idea for them all to get together. She did need an excuse to get out of the house, and looking around she figured she wasn't the only one in that boat. They'd all been through so much, lost so much – it was hard to think about where to go from there without feeling a pang of guilt for those that lost their lives.

"What if we left?" Hermione said.

"I'm not sure I follow…"

"Not forever, just for a little while… get out and see the world, get away from the wreckage. Find ourselves so to speak."

Ginny took a minute before responding, slowly Hermione could see a shimmer coming to her friends eye. "I'm down, when can we go?"

"I guess anytime, there's not much holding us down here."

"What about Harry and Ron?" Ginny tilted her head in their direction.

"I think you and I can handle ourselves, I'm sure they'll likely want to do their own things anyways."

"So – you didn't answer, when can we go."

"How's Sunday? It's 3 days away, that way we can have time to pack and come up with at least a little idea of where we should start."

Ginny nodded, a small smile coming to her face. It'd been so long since she had anything exciting to look forward to… not that a war isn't exciting or anything.

"What do you mean you're going away?!" Molly shouted, hands on her hips and face turning nearly the same shade of red as her hair.

"I mean, Hermione and I need time away… time to figure out what we want, time to regroup."

"And you can't do that here?" Molly spat, foot tapping so fast Ginny thought she might wear a hole in the hardwood.

"No, mum, we can't."

"YOU'RE ONLY 16! I FORBID IT!"

"Forbid it?" Ginny just rolled her eyes, she knew her mum didn't really mean it. She was just scared. A lot was going on, she just lost a son and now her daughter wants to go off gallivanting around the world. "Mum, I am going to be 17 in a month, that's of age. I am not going to be reckless, I just want to see what's out there. I want to learn different customs, eat strange food, get away from the mess that is around me. Please, mum, I wouldn't ask if I didn't think it's something I needed. I'll be with Hermione, we will protect each other."

Molly took a moment to compose herself, she knew she was being irrational but she couldn't stand the thought of losing another one of her babies. "Fine," she said finally, "but you have to check in with me minimum of once a week."

Ginny threw her arms around her mum, and immediately ran upstairs to begin packing. She only had 2 days before her and Hermione began their trek so she really had to get her stuff together.

"Must you go? Why can't you stay here with Ron and me?" Harry asked as he shuffled around, trying to help her pack for her trip.

"I'm not having this conversation again Harry, I'm going and so is Ginny. We will be fine. Don't worry, I'll be sure to owl you." She gave him a peck on the cheek as she made her way to the bathroom to get some toiletries.

"Fine, but you better see me first as soon as you get back."

"Promise."


End file.
